Typewriting machine



. March 31, 1942. W. HELMOND ,2 0

TYPEWRITING MACHINE H H y I 4 Juvzmom March 31, 1942. w. F. HELMOND 2,278,010

' I IYPEWRITING MACHINE I 4 Fild Feb. 2, 19:55 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Avon Y- March 31, 1942. w, F. HELMOND 2,278,010

TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Feb 2, 1935 v Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR= Patented Mar. 31, 1942 TYPEWRITING MACHINE William F. Helmond, West Hartford, Conn., as-

signor to Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application February 2, 1935, Serial No. 4,686

13 Claims.

This invention relates to settable column-stops and a stop-mounting rack for a tabulating typing-machine carriage, and affords novel features of rack and stop construction, which conduce to lightness of the rack structure, to durable buttressing-support of the stops by the light rack, to reducing cost of manufacture, and to other advantages.

The novel rack is of trough-forming crosssection, the sides forming opposite walls or jaws extending the length of the rack. A row of plate-like slugs or stops extends between the walls, and each stop stands crosswise of the rack for facewise engagement with a counter-stop to arrest the carriage. The transverse or middle part of the trough joins said jaws into a unitary rack structure, and may be perforated by stopadmitting slots spaced lengthwise of the rack; and the stop-edge-flanking inner faces of said jaws maybe provided with durable stop-buttressing rack-teeth spaced to agree with said slots.

The rack may be made from a substantially flat sheet-metal blank, and across one face of said blank, that is, across both of its borders which subsequently form the rack walls or jaws, the stop-buttressing teeth may be formed, as by a milling operation, before the blank is bent into the trough-like rack form.

To facilitate the bendingoperation, the thickness of the blank may be reduced at the cornerforming bending lines, and for this purpose there may extend along the middle of the blank a single thickness-reducing groove wide enough to include both bending lines.

The stop-admitting perforations, in the transverse part of the rack which joins the stopembracing side-walls, may be formed after the bending operation, as by slots made by a milling cutter. The transverse part thus forms a grid which connects the stop-embracing side-walls. The elements of the grid co-operate with the side-wall teeth to locate the stop along the rack, and may also be utilized to engage resilient detent-prongs provided upon the stops for detenting the stops against accidental edgewise displacement.

The novel rack is usually mounted'on the tabulating carriage of the machine. A light rack is therefore a desideratum, and is achieved by making the rack of sheet-metal as described. Moreover, the making of the rack in its troughlike form from an initially flat blank as described makes it economically feasible to provide durable stop-buttressing teeth upon the stop-flanking jaws of the rack, and to make said toothed jaws part of a one-piece rack. Such stop-buttressing teeth upon a rack of the smallest pitch used, say sixteen teeth to the inch, will be durable enough to withstand the carriagearresting impact without breaking, inasmuch as the tooth-forming ridges may extend from the bottom to the top of the stop-flanking sides of the rack-trough.

The invention also deals with the stops and provides for improvements pertaining to the formation of the-aforesaid detent-prongs and to other stop-features, and which improvements conduce to reducing the cost of producing the stops. Such cost reduction is important inasmuch as one machine alone may employ a large number of stops, as for example a machine employing a key-set stop-system.

Other features of improvement pertainingto the stops are useful mainly in machines in which a stop is completely withdrawable from the rack in order that it may be set in different positions along the latter. To prevent accidental dropping or loss of the stops when they are thus withdrawn, the stops may be permanently retained in the machine in such way as to permit their free insertion or withdrawal at any point along the rack, the invention providing novel improvements in stop-retaining means.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional side view of the tabulating carriage mechanism with the novel rack and stops,

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the rack and stops, said rack-portion being partly sectioned to bring out'details.

Figure 3 is a view of the open or trough side of the rack, and includes a series of stops inserted in the novel rack, as for a key-set stop-system.

Figure 4 shows how the shape of the stopdetent prong maybe economically formed by means of swedging dies, the stop and dies being shown in section.

Figure 5 is a sectional side view showing an arrangement of the rack form, whereby the counter-stop-engaging end of the stop may remain within the rack-trough.

Figure 6 is a view showing a cross-section of the rack of Figure 5 by itself to bring out details.

Figure '7 is a front elevation view which includes stop setting and restoring mechanism and a fragmentary front sectional view of the rack together with a number of the stops.

Figure 8 is a View indicating how the stopblanks may be sheared from a flat, strip and the detent-prongs outlined at one operation.

Figure 9 is a facewise view of the novel finished stop.

Figure 10 is a facewise view of the stop before the swedging operation which finishes said stop as in Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the novel finished stop by itself.

Figure 12 is a perspective view showing the stop-system inclusive of the novel rack and stops.

Figure 13 is a cross-section view of the finished rack seen in Figure 2.

Figure 14 is a facewise view of the rack-blank in its initial state.

Figure 15 is a facewise view of the rack-blank after the formation thereon of the stop-buttressing rack-teeth.

Figure 16 includes a facewise and cross-section view of the rack-blank and shows the thicknessreducing middle groove along the blank.

Figure 17 is a fragmentary edgewise view of the blank corresponding to Figure 16.

Figure 18 is a cross-section view indicating the blank of Figure 16 bent into the trough-like rackform before the cross slotting of the rack at the transverse part which joins the sidewalls.

Figure 19 is a sectioned side View of the carriage-mechanism, showing the arrangement of the stop relative to the stop-retaining means employed to prevent loss of the stop when withdrawn from the rack.

Figure 20 is a fragmentary enlarged, and partly sectioned, view of the rack and type of stop seen in Figure 19, and shows stops detented in idle and projected positions upon the rack.

Figure 21 is an enlarged, partly sectioned, side view of the rack, stop and retaining means, showing the stop in idle position upon the rack.

Figure 22 is a View similar to Figure 21, showing the stop fully withdrawn from the rack and retained by the stop-retaining means.

Figure 23 is a front view of the rack, stops, retaining means and part of the carriage-structure indicated in Figure 19, parts of the view being sectioned to bring out details.

The invention is illustrated in connection with a typing-machine such as the Underwood, in which a carriage 24, having a frame 24 runs upon tracks 24* to traverse the printing-point of type-bars represented at 25 and operated by means including type-keys represented at 25 to print upon a platen 26 mounted in said carriage.

The usual spring-motor 21 may advance the carriage under control of the usual type-keycontro-lled escapement-devices 28.

A tabulating key-lever 29, by depression of its key 33, releases the carriage from the escapement-control, by the usual means not shown, for an ensuing advance, and at the same time elevates a counter-stop blade 3!, slidably retained in a housing 33, into a position wherein it may limit said advance, the upper end of the elevated counter-stop blade 3| engaging a plate-like slug or stop 34 mounted in a stop-rack 35 attached to the carriage-frame 24 by means of brackets 35, which support said rack with its stop 34 above the counter-stop blade 3|.

Figures 7 and 12 indicate a key-set stop-system, wherein any one of a letter-spaced series of the stops 34, permanently retained in the rack 35, may be projected into or retracted from counterstop-engaging position. A stop-setting arm 33 mounted upon the housing 33 is actuated through linkage 39 by means of a stop-setting key, not shown, and a stop-restorer 40 is operated by means of a stop-restoring key, not shown; the stop setting and restoring mechanism, shown by way of example herein, being fully described in my co-pending application Serial No. 592,454., filed February 12, 1932 (now Patent No. 2,053,079, dated September 1, 1936).

It will be obvious that use of the novelty in the rack and stop structure about to be described in detail is not limited to a key-set stopsystem, nor is such use limited to a denominational tabulating system employing, as indicated in Figures 7 and 12, a plurality of the counter-stop blades 3|.

The novel stop-rack 35 is of trough-like or open-channel form, substantially as in Figures 6, 13 and 18, which affords opposite jaws or sidewalls 42 for embracing the stops 34 edgewise to present the latter for facewise engagement with the counter-stop 3|, and which trough-form also affords a transverse part 43, referred to conveniently as the base of the channel-formed bar, which joins said walls into the unitary rackstructure 35. The stop-embracing inner sides of said jaws 42 are faced with stop-buttressing rack-teeth 44, which may be provided throughout the tabulating range of the rack, and which are preferably of saw-tooth form.

The rack 35 is mounted with its trough-forming channel toward the counter-stop 3|, the stop 34 being normally retracted, so that its counterstop-engaging end is substantially within the stop-presenting rack-jaws 42.

For admitting the stops 34 the transverse rackpart 43 may be perforated by slots 45 aligned with the stop-receiving spaces between the stop-buttressing teeth 44 in each side-wall 42. The perforated transverse part 43 thus forms a grid connecting the side-walls 42', A grid-element 3 Figure 2, adjacent each stop 34, also engages a notched detent-prong 41 of the stop for yieldably holding the latter in its retracted or projected position. Each stop 34 may have a shoulder 43 aligned with a companion shoulder 49 at one end of the stop-admitting slot 45.

The opposite side-edges of the stop 34 may be beveled as at 50 to fit into the saw-tooth form of the buttressing teeth 44.

The novel rack may be made from an initially fiat blank of sheet-metal 35 Figure 14. The stop-buttressing teeth 44 may be formed as by milling across one face of the blank, thereby forming the teeth 44 for both rack-walls 42 at one operation. The blank, with the buttressing teeth 44 formed thereon as indicated by Figure 15, is bent into the trough-like form represented at Figure 18, and, to facilitate the bending operation, the thickness of the blank may be reduced at the corner-forming bending lines as by a longitudinal groove 5| along the middle of the tooth-bearing face of the blank as indicated in Figure 16.

After the blank is bent to the Figure 18 form, another milling cutter operation may form the stop-admitting slots 45 across the transverse part 43.

The groove 5| may be Wide enough so that when the blank is bent into the trough-like rackform, the tooth-ridge ends formed by the sides of the groove 5| are clear of the transverse part 43 as indicated at 52, Figure 13. The extent to which the groove 5| reduces the blank thickness may be limited so as to leave standingsubstantially that part 44*, Figures 16 and 18, of

the tooth profile which is not cut away by the subsequent formation, at the transverse part 43, of the stop-admitting cross-slots 45, it being understood that the stop-fitting width of said slots 45 is less than the spacing of the stop-buttressing teeth 44, since the thickness of the stops 34 may be, say, one-half, or less, of said toothspacing. It will also be understood that the stopadmitting slots 45 are located relatively to the stop-buttressing teeth 44, so that one side of each slot 45 is substantially flush with the flanks 44*, Figure 13, of the corresponding pair of teeth 44, in order that the stops 34 may bear freely and fully upon said flanks.

- It will be seen that the stop-buttressing teeth 44 upon the side-walls 42 may extend substantially up to the stop-admitting slots 45, and may therefore be of ample strength to withstand the carriage-arresting impact without liability of breaking. Furthermore, the extension of the tooth-spaces up to the stop-admitting slots 45 makes it easy to insert the stops 34 into said tooth-spaces by way of said slots.

Figure shows the rack-side-walls 42 dropped close to the counter-stop 3|, so that when a stop 34 is set in the rack for co-operation with said counter-stop, the buttressing teeth 44 may support the stop 34 right down to its lower end. In such case, the counter-stop 3|, as indicated by its dotted outline in Figure 5, may be projected into the rack. The transverse part 43 of the Figure 5 rack may be arched as indicated,

whereby the elevation of its stop-prong engaging center and the height of the side-walls remain the same as for the fiat top rack, below which a set stop 34 projects as seen in Figure 12. The arching of the transverse part 43 also facilitates the bending of the corners of the threesided rack in that the bends will be less acute than in the flat top rack, it being understood that the Figure 5 rack may be also formed from a blank which is toothed and has its thickness reduced by a longitudinal groove as indicated in Figures 14, 15, 16 and 1'7. Figure 6, which is a cross-section View of the Figure 5 rack by itself, shows that the arched transverse part 43 may be perforated by the stop-admitting slots 45 as in the flat top rack.

For attachment to the supporting brackets 36, as by screws 55, one of the side-walls 42 of the rack may be provided with screw-holes 53 which may be elongated to permit endwise rack-adjustment, and which screw-holes may be formed in the rack-blank, as seen at Figure 14. Each rackbracket 36 may have an inwardly-extending tongue 54 facing the rack-side-wall 42, said tongue extending from a reflexly-bent part 56 in the bracket 36 which, as indicated in Figure 12, may bear a screw 58 usable to adjust the rack endwise. The rack-brackets 36 may be attached to the carriage-frame 24 byscrews 5?.

In machines wherein the stops 34, once placed in the rack 35, are never entirely withdrawn from the rack as in the key-set stop-system indicated in Figures 1, '7 and 12, the stops 34 may besubstantially rectangular in form as best seen in Figures 9 and 11.

As indicated in Figure 8, the stop-blanks may be sheared from a continuous strip 59 by a punch-press operation which at the same time produces slots 60in the blank to set oil a portion 6| which subsequently forms the detentprong 41 of the finished stop. Figure 10 indicates the slotted stop-blank by itself. The edges of the strip 59 may be beveled so that the slotted blank also afiords the beveled rack-toothengaging edges 56. V

v Swedging dies '62, Figure 4, may be employed to reduce sections of the prong-portion 6| as indicated at 63, Figure 9, thereby to form the detenting shoulders 64, 65, Figure 2, and also to reduce the thickness of the prong at its base for resiliency. The swedging dies 62 may also swedge the edge of the stop locally to form a tab 6l which affords the shoulder 48 of the stop. As indicated in Figures 2 and 11, the detentprong 4'! may be set facewise so that, with the stop inserted in the rack, the detent-shoulders 64 and 65 will spring into engagement with the adjacent side of the rack-slot 45 or grid-element 43. The lower detent-shoulder 65 may be made square as indicated, so as to limit upward displacement of the stop, it being noted that the tab-shoulder 48 limits downward displacement. The stop may be withdrawn from the rack by first pressing the prong 41 aside to release the square shoulder 65. The other two shoulders 64 may be beveled so that downward or upward edgewise pressure upon the stop will cause the detent-prong to be momentarily cammed aside by the transverse rack-part 43 as said pressure projects or retracts the stop.

It will be seen that the novel rack may be made of sheet-metal, and may therefore be light in weight. Nevertheless the provision of the buttressing teeth 44 in the side-walls 42, made feasible by the trough-like form of the rack, makes the light rack durable to withstand the tabulating impacts. It will further be seen that the formation of the buttressing teeth 44 upon an initially flat blank, as indicated in Figures 14 and 15, conduces to economy in producing said buttressing teeth.

For machines having but few of the platelike stops, the invention provides novel improvements in means 'for preventing accidental dropping or loss of the stops when they are completely Withdrawn from the rack for differential setting along the latter. In carrying out these improvements, see Figures 19 to 23, a stop 10 remains in the form of a plate-like slug, and includes a body-portion constituting the rackengaging and stop-portion and also a wing 12 which may have a slot 13 for threading the stops (0 upon a retaining bar 74.

In order that the stop 16 may be detented either in working position, Figure 19, or in idle position, Figure 21, a stop-rack which itself cooperates to detent the stop is employed, and may, therefore, be the rack 35 having the toothed sideewa'lls 42 as hereinbefore described, the bodyportion H of the stop 10 being provided with a detentprong 15 for engaging the slotted stopadmitting transverse part 43 of such rack 35.

The retaining bar 14 may be a flat strip supported, relatively to the rack 35, so that its opposite faces face the sides of the stop-slots 13 which extend in the direction in which the stops are entered into or withdrawn from the, rack 35.

End brackets 16 which may extend from the carriage-frame 24 support the rack 35 and the retaining bar 74 in such relation that any stop 1!! may be entered into or withdrawn from the rack 35 at any place along the latter, it being understood that the stop-slot 13 permits the withdrawn stop to be shifted lengthwise of the rack by sliding it along the retaining bar 14.

Each bracket 16 may have an inwardly-turned tongue 11, Figures 22 and 23, for attachment thereto, by a screw '13, of one end of the rack 35. Each bracket 16 also has an arm '19 supporting one end of the retaining bar H! as by a mortise-connection 80. The bracket-arms 19 support the retaining bar 14 parallel to the rack 35 and oiiset said retaining bar from the rack, preferably toward the rear of the carriage, so that the lower end of the stop-slot 13 may be dropped by means of the stop-wing 12 to correspondingly delimit the vertical dimension of the stop 18. The wing 12 is joined to the body-portion H of the stop by a transverse part 8| which also forms a shoulder 82 for engaging the rackshoulder 49 to limit downward displacement of the stop to the Figure 19 working position. Upward displacement of the stop, as when it is withdrawn from the rack, may be limited by the lower end of the slot 13 striking the retaining bar 14 as in Figure 22. The stop-wing 12 may be shaped edgewise to form a finger-grip as at 83.

The detent-prong 15 may be outlined in the body-portion "H of the stop by a U-shaped slot 8% formed initially in the stop-blank, and which, it will be seen, leaves only the base of the prong connected to said body-portion 'H. The prong may be shaped, as by swedging same in the manner hereinbeicre described, to form upper and lower detent-nodules 85, 86, and to reduce the thickness of the prong at its base for resili ency. As best seen in Figure 20, the lower detentnodule 86 may be V-shaped, so that the prong may be automatically cammed aside to pass the transverse rack-part 43, against which the prong presses, as indicated in Figures and 23, when the stop is withdrawn. Similarly, a rounding oi the face of the wider upper nodule 85, as indicated, permits the same to pass above or below said transverse part 43 as the stop 10 is shifted between the Figure 19 working position and the Figure 21 idle position.

The stop-rack and associate parts may be behind a paper-table 81 of the carriage, and said paper-table may be hinged as at 88 to swing forwardly as indicated by its dotted outline, Figure 19, for access to the stops 10.

Side-edges of the body-portion H of the stop ill may be beveled, as indicated by the shading at $0, Figure 22, to fit into the rack-teeth 44, which, as hereinbefore described, may be of saw-tooth form. The brackets 16 may be attached to the carriage'frame 24 byscrews 9|.

It will be seen that the provision of the detent 75 at the body-portion ll of the stop 10, conduoes to the feasibility of also utilizing the stop retaining bar 14 as a stop-setting scale, and that the face of the flat retaining bar afiords a surface upc-n which scale-markings 92 may be provided, as indicated in Figure 23.

It will further be seen that by no other manipulation of parts than edgewise movement of the stop 76, the latter may be set into the rack 35 and automatically become detented in either the Figure 19 working position, or the Figure 21 idle position; or the stop may be fully withdrawn, as in Figure 22, from either detented position in the rack; and that when so withdrawn accidental dropping or loss of the stop is prevented by the retaining bar 14.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a tabulating mechanism, a plate-like stop, a hollow stop-rack into which said stop is inserted for support, said rack including sidewalls having inner faces provided with stopbuttressing teeth for flanking companion sideedge portions with which said stop is provided, said rack also including a transverse wall joining said side-walls and having stop-admitting slots, said stop being provided with a resilient detentprong disposed between its said side-edge portions to clear said toothed side-walls, said prong being arranged to engage the side of the stopadmitting slot in the transverse rack-wall, whereby the latter co-operates with said prong to detent the stop in the rack.

2. In a tabulating mechanism, a plate-like stop, a hollow stop-rack into which said stop is inserted for support, said rack including sidewalls having inner faces provided with stopbuttressing teeth for flanking companion sideedge portions with which said stop is provided, said rack also including a transverse wall joining said side-walls and having stop-admitting slots, said stop being provided with a resilient detentprong disposed between its said side-edge portions to clear said toothed side-walls, said prong being arranged to engage the side of the stopadmitting slot in the transverse rack-wall, whereby the latter co-operates with said prong to detent the stop in the rack, said prong being set so as to bear with resilient pressure upon said slot-side, and being provided with detent-shoulders for detenting the stop in projected or retracted position in the rack.

3. A tabulating stop of plate-like form for use with a stop-rack of the character described, said stop having side-edge portions at which it may be articulated with opposite toothed sidewalls of the rack, said stop also having a resilient detent-prong for engaging a transverse part of the rack, said prong being shaped out of the stop-plate itself at a portion located between its said side-edge portions to permit the articulaticn of the stop with the rack-side-walls.

4. A tabulating stop of plate-like form for use with a stop-rack of the character described, said stop having side-edge portions at which it may be articulated with opposite toothed side-walls of the rack, said stop also having a resilient detent-prong for engaging a transverse part of the rack, said prong being shaped out of the stopplate itself at a portion located between its said side-edge portions to permit the articulation of the stop with the rack-side-walls, one of the sideedges of the stop being provided with a shoulder for limiting insertion of the stop into the rack.

5. In a tabulating mechanism, a stop-rack, a stop-retaining bar supported to extend parallel to the rack, and a plate-like stop including a rack-engaging portion, and also including a wing-portion having a slot whereby the stop is keyed to the retaining bar, said slot extending in the direction in which the stop is thrust into or withdrawn from the rack, the rack and said retaining bar being offset transversely of said direction, said wing-portion serving to correspondingly offset said slot from the body-portion, whereby the dimension of the stop in said direction may be limited.

6. In a tabulating mechanism, a plate-like tabulating stop having a body-portion afiording side-edges at which the stop may be articulated with edge-flanking stop-rack elements, said body-portion also affording a detent-prong located between said edges for engaging a transverse rack-element, said stop also having a wing in which there is a slot for stringing the stop upon a retaining member, said slot extending in the direction in which the stop is inserted between said edge-flanking elements, said wing offsetting said slot from said body-portion, whereby the slot and prong may be in staggered relation substantially as set forth.

7. A tabulating stop of plate-like form for use with a stop-rack of the character described having opposite interior teeth, said stop having sideedge portions which may be set into opposite teeth of the side-walls of the rack, said stop also being shaped with a middle resilient detentprong for engaging a transverse part of the rack, and said prong having detent-shoulders.

8. In a tabulating mechanism for typewriting machines, in combination, a tabulator stop-rack, presenting a plurality of stop-mounts, a series of stops slidable on said mounts for limited reciprocatory movement into and out of operative position and removable therefrom for selective placement in any of said rack stop-mounts, yieldable means for limiting the reciprocatory movement of said stops, and a guide-rod along said rack, each of said stops including an elongate retaining slot embracing said rod, said rod having a flat face in parallelism with the direction of reciprocatory movement of said stops to align said stops, respectively, for insertion into each rack-mount.

9. In a tabulating mechanism, the combination with a channel-shaped bar having parallel side walls provided with internal, oppositely facing, transverse grooves, and tabulator stops supported in said grooves, of a counter-stop adapted to engage said tabulator stops within the said channel-shaped bar and between the said stopsupporting grooves.

10. In a typing machine; an open-channelform tabulating stop rack consisting of a base wall and two opposite side walls, said side walls each being individually of one piece and of one piece with said base wall so that said rack is entirely of one piece, said base wall having tabulating-stop-receiving perforations and the opposite inner faces of said side walls having stop receiving grooves corresponding to said base wall perforations and forming tabulating-stopbuttressing teeth internally along the inner sides of the channel and homogeneously integral with said side walls.

11. In a typing-machine; an open-channelform tabulating stop rack consisting of a base wall and two opposite side walls connected to said base wall, the opposite inner faces of said side walls having grooves forming tabulatingstop-buttressing teeth and the base wall having stop-receiving perforations corresponding to said grooves and in the form of cross slots each extending at least from the base of one corresponding groove to the base of an opposite corresponding groove.

12. In a typewriting machine; an open-channel-form tabulating stop rack consisting of a base wall and two opposite side walls, said base wall having tabulating stop receiving perforations'and the opposite inner faces of said side walls having stop-receiving grooves corresponding to said base wall perforations and forming stop-buttressing teeth, said rack being a continuous sheet metal piece on opposite margins of which aligned grooves are provided, the piece being formed in channel shape thus presenting the grooves in opposed relation on the inner faces of the side walls.

13. -A tabulating-stop rack having a base and side Walls in one continuous piece and defining a channel having corners, the side walls, beyond the channel corners, being thicker than the base and having inner faces oppositely grooved to slidably confine and buttress tabulator stops, and the base having slots into which said stops project.

WILLIAM F. HELMOND. 

